


Double Date

by MissErikaCourt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Awkward Dates, Double Date, F/M, Fluff, I love writing first dates, Set Ups, birthday fic, new relationships, this is honestly just a lot of fluff and good feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 21:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13796895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissErikaCourt/pseuds/MissErikaCourt
Summary: Hanji convinces Levi to ask Petra to go on a double date with herself and Moblit. Levi expects the date to go horribly in a number of ways, but he might be pleasantly surprised.





	Double Date

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very special birthday fic for my very special friend! I'm sorry it's a day late, love! I hope you enjoy this ridiculously fluffy story! Happy birthday!!!

“Levi!” Hanji's voice rang through the empty hallway and grated on his nerves as he heard her hurried footsteps rushing up behind him. He knew if she was this excited, what she was about to ask him _couldn't_ be anything good.

“No,” He said before she even began to talk, but she just slowed her pace to walk beside him and asked anyway.

“Come on a double date with Moblit and me! It'll be fun! You know what _fun_ is, right?”

“Why would I agree to something as idiotic as that?”

“ _Because_ this is the first time I've ever been on a date and it's with _Moblit_ and I want someone to be there to tell me if I'm being too strange. You can do that, right?”

“It's a lost cause, you're always too strange.”

“Rude,” Hanji crossed her arms in front of her chest but continued her proposition. “Come on, Levi, I never ask you for favors.”

“You ask me for favors all the time, four-eyes,”

“Well, this one is different!”

“I don't have anyone to go on a double date with,” He replied, hoping that Hanji would drop the topic there, but he should have known better.

“Why don't you ask Petra?”

“Petra?” His pace slowed for only a moment as he thought about her, wondering if she would even agree to anything so ludicrous.

Why would Petra Ral want to go on a date with him? She probably couldn't stand him. His personality wasn't exactly inviting and besides that she was his subordinate, a member of his squad, being romantically involved with her surely broke _some_ kind of rule. Then again, Hanji was going on a date with Moblit, so Levi thought that excuse might not hold up.

“Yeah, ask Petra! I'm sure she would like to go! It doesn't even have to be a real date, it would just be nice to have a couple people around that I know can help me through things.” Hanji said, her voice quieting down ever so slightly. It was a moment of vulnerability that Hanji rarely showed to anyone except for Levi, and he knew when she got like that he had no choice but to agree to what she was asking.

“Fine,” Levi agreed with a sigh rolling his eyes briefly. “I'll go on your stupid double date. I'll ask Petra later today.”

“Thank you, Levi! You're the best friend I could ever ask for!” Hanji practically shouted and Levi rolled his eyes again.

“Who said I was your friend?” He asked, but they both knew he didn't mean it. He and Hanji had been good friends practically since he'd joined the Corps and, deep down, both of them knew that he would do anything to help Hanji out.

“We'll meet the two of you outside of the barracks building at 6:30 tonight! Don't be late!” Hanji said as she ran down the hallway leaving Levi to try and think of exactly how he was going to ask Petra Ral to go on a date with him.

It wasn't like he'd had much experience with dating in general, but he especially didn't know how to ask someone on a date. He kept rolling the idea around in his mind, hoping that something would come to him, but as he walked down the hallway thinking about the best way to bring the topic up he saw her.

She was talking to Oluo at the end of the hallway, smiling and laughing and being the ray of sunshine that she always was. Levi might not have experience in asking people out on dates, but it didn't matter. He would just be straightforward. He would just ask her and see what she had to say. He wasn't sure what he would tell Hanji if she refused but that was the least of his worries at the moment because he was stopping in front of his two squad mates and their attention was solely on him.

“Petra,” He began, and Petra smiled at him warmly, awaiting whatever it was that he had to say to her. “Would you mind accompanying me on a double date with Hanji and Moblit?”

Petra's eyes grew wide at the request and Oluo's mouth hung open as he watched Petra, waiting for her answer. She seemed to be shocked, or maybe scared? He wasn't sure exactly what expression was on Petra's face, but he didn't think it was anything good. He looked over to Oluo and the other man managed to pick his jaw up off the floor and looked over to Petra, apparently awaiting her response as well. Levi was beginning to think that she just _wasn't_ going to answer until she started sputtering.

“Um...I...I don't...I mean...Heichou, what's this about?” She managed to form a whole sentence through her blushing and stammering, but he wasn't exactly sure what she meant by it.

“Hanji asked me to go on a double date with her and I thought that you might be inclined to go with me,” He answered, although he realized too late that he was just reiterating what he'd already said to her in his initial proposition.

“You...you really want me to go on a date with you?” She asked, her face turning a darker shade of pink than it was before.

“I couldn't think of anyone else that might go with me,”

“Oh, I see.” She seemed to be contemplating her answer, but only for a moment before her smile returned to her face and she looked at him fully, seemingly forcing herself to maintain eye contact with him through her answer. “If you really want me to go with you then, sure. I'd love to.”

“I'll be at your room at 6:00 tonight, then. We're supposed to meet Hanji and Moblit for dinner,” He answered, although he was more than a little shocked that she'd actually agreed.

“Okay, Heichou! I'm looking forward to it!” Petra answered and Oluo's jaw dropped again. It seemed that the other man was all around shocked at what he'd just witnessed, but Levi wasn't completely sure why. Regardless, Levi nodded, said his goodbyes, and made his way back toward his room. He would have a few hours to get ready before he had to meet Petra and, while he knew this wasn't honestly a real date, he still felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach thinking about what would take place later that night.

The two hours spent in his room were spent pacing, deciding what to wear, and fretting over what _exactly_ would be happening on this date. He had to keep telling himself that it wasn't real, that it was for the benefit of Hanji, that Petra probably didn't even feel anything for him and that she was more than likely just going on this date out of pity for him. Regardless, he decided to try his best to at least look like he was taking this seriously. Because that was definitely something that he wasn't going to admit to doing. He may have agreed to the double date, but he never agreed to play the part of a man courting a woman.

Once he finally decided that his normal black suit, complete with cravat, would suffice for the evening he made his way toward Petra's room. It was two floors above his, and at the end of the hall, and he took his time getting there as he tried to think of what exactly he would say to her when he picked her up.

Did he even need to say anything special? Was she expecting him to try and sweep her off her feet and woo her? Surely Petra wouldn't expect that level of effort from him, regardless of the label he'd slapped on the evening. A date. Something that people who were romantically interested in each other did. If Levi was honest with himself he couldn't even remember ever being romantically interested in anyone. He'd always been too busy with other things. Stealing from the MPs underground and being humanity's strongest soldier were the most important of those 'other things'.

The fact that Petra had agreed to this date already told him that she probably didn't expect much, so he decided to just be himself for the duration of the night. If she agreed to go out with him tonight then she couldn't find him too terribly abrasive. She already knew what to expect, so she shouldn't be upset if he just acted normally. He'd decided on that course of action up until the very moment that he knocked on the door and Petra answered it.

“Good evening, Heichou!” She said excitedly as she stepped out into the hallway with him. She was wearing a lovely mint green blouse and a black skirt that hit just below the knee and Levi thought that she was possibly the most beautiful and breathtaking sight he'd ever seen. Not even his first time seeing the world outside of the walls could compare to the woman that was standing in front of him now, blushing slightly and brushing her hair behind her ear nervously. Probably because he hadn't replied to her greeting.

“Just call me Levi tonight, there's no need for formality.” He inwardly kicked himself for not telling her how amazing she looked, but he also knew that he would have plenty more opportunities. He wanted to make the night worth it for her now, not just a night spent with Hanji and Moblit, but a proper date like he'd told her it would be.

“Are you sure?” She asked, her brow furrowing slightly as if she was afraid to actually do as he had said.

“What kind of date would it be if you went around calling me that all night?”

“I guess you're right about that.” She smiled and Levi felt like his heart might explode out of his chest. If it was possible for her to become any more gorgeous it happened as soon as she smiled.

“Anyway, Hanji and Moblit are probably waiting for us, we should get going.”

Petra nodded and locked her door behind her before they made their way down to the street. Hanji and Moblit hadn't actually shown up yet and, while Levi expected them to be late regardless of the fact that Hanji had told him _not_ to be, it was still bothersome. He leaned against the outside wall of the building, crossing his ankles as Petra stood beside him watching the people pass on the street. He never did find it important to make conversation, but he'd at least expected to feel like he needed to with her. It was, in fact, the exact opposite. The companionable silence they shared was somewhat soothing to him as people passed them by, not bothering to even glance at the two of them standing silently against the building. Apparently, Petra didn't find the silence so soothing.

“So, where are we going on this double date?” She asked avoiding eye contact with him as she spoke.

“I'm not sure, Hanji didn't give me any details other than the fact that it was a double date and that we're having dinner.”

“I'm sure wherever we go will be lovely.” Petra smiled and glanced over at him only for a moment before her eyes returned to the cobblestones below their feet.

“I wouldn't be so sure since four-eyes probably picked wherever we're going. It's probably some filthy dive bar.” He rolled his eyes as he spoke but looked over at Petra as soon as he heard her giggling at his side. Apparently, something he'd said had been funny, although he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.

“The two of you are close, aren't you?” She suddenly asked, the ghost of a smile still on her lips as she looked up at him through thick lashes.

“I suppose you could say that. I think she was the first person that I could call a friend when I joined the Corps. She didn't treat us like criminals like the rest of them did.”

“Oh, Levi! I didn't know you cared so much!” Hanji's voice sounded through the air, and Levi knew immediately that he'd made a mistake admitting what he'd said. If he would have known she was so nearby he wouldn't have said it at all, but being around Petra made him feel like there were no other people left in the world.

“Can it, four-eyes, let's just get this over with,” Levi said, trying to shift the topic of conversation, but as they walked Hanji just wouldn't let it go.

“The first person that you could call a friend in the Corps! I'm flattered!”

“Didn't I tell you to shut your mouth?”

“I think it's sweet.” Petra chimed in from Levi's side and suddenly all eyes were on her. She paled and hurried on with an explanation. “I mean...I think it's nice that the two of you have formed such a close bond as friends. Not a lot of people can say that they have something like that.”

“I'm not sure that calling her my friend is a good thing. It just goes to show that only the outcasts of the world flock to me.”

“That's not true at all! Petra enjoys spending time with you and she isn't an outcast! She's a perfectly normal woman!” Hanji surely meant what she'd said in a good way, but calling someone 'normal' probably wouldn't be something that most people would take in stride.

“H-Hanji!” Petra went from pale to bright pink in a matter of seconds as she looked down at the ground. Hanji laughed and Moblit looked concerned before the group fell silent and they continued the rest of the way to the restaurant. It looked like a normal enough place, and not filthy, to Levi's delight. It didn't seem like it would be too expensive or exclusive, but it had a nice homey feel that seemed to put everyone at ease and take their minds off of what had just transpired.

When they arrived at their table, Levi pulled Petra's chair out for her and helped her scoot it back in once she took her seat, trying his best to be a gentleman. If he was going to commit to this date he was going to be _totally_ committed. Besides, going on a date with Petra wasn't the worst thing he could think of. In fact, despite the fact that Hanji was also there, he was having a good time with her. He found himself wanting to start a conversation just to hear her voice, just to hold her gaze for a moment, and he did just that as Hanji babbled to Moblit about some new experiment she wanted to do on her newest titan subjects.

“Have you ever been here?” He asked quietly, turning slightly in his chair to face her more fully.

“No, but it seems nice.” She answered, her eyes flitting over the menu that she held in her hands.

“You should try this!” Hanji said suddenly, pointing to an item on her menu and watching the two of them as they looked over. “It's my favorite dish!”

“Oh, it sounds good!” Petra answered with a smile, despite the fact that Hanji had interrupted her conversation with Levi yet again. It would have annoyed him if he would have had any clue what he would have said next.

When the waiter came they ordered drinks, and while Moblit seemed to shy away from alcohol Hanji, Levi, and Petra all indulged a bit with a few glasses of wine. It wasn't Levi's favorite, but he didn't think that diving into hard liquor on a first date with Petra would be that good of an idea. His tolerance for alcohol was quite high, but it tended to make him speak his mind more often than he already did, and he thought he might need to avoid that if at all possible.

“Do you drink often, Levi?” Petra asked after she'd finished a relatively normal conversation about her father with Hanji.

“I try not to,” He answered, trying not to delve too deeply into the reasoning behind his answer. “What about you?”

“I have wine every now and then, but I'm kind of a lightweight.” She laughed a little as she swirled her wine around in her glass. “My father doesn't really like it when I drink, so I try to respect his wishes.”

“You're close to your father.” It wasn't really a question, but Petra seemed to feel the need to answer anyway.

“Yes, he's very important to me. Ever since mother died he's been lonely, I'm the only thing he has left in this world, but we were close before that too.”

“I'm sorry, about your mother,” Levi felt the need to say something that might be considered comforting, especially since he knew how it felt to lose a mother, but he had his doubts as to whether it actually had any impact or not.

“Thank you, but it was a long time ago. We're both doing much better now.” Petra smiled and he felt the ridiculous urge to smile back at her before he fought it back.

“Petra, you should take Levi to meet your father! The two of you will probably be getting serious soon,” Hanji said with a huge smile as Levi scowled from his seat and Petra panicked in hers.

“Hanji, don't say things like that! I'm sure Levi doesn't want to meet my father, that would be ridiculous! This isn't anything serious, right, Levi?” Petra turned to him when she was finished talking and Levi found himself to be the one that was shocked into silence now. When he'd agreed to this date he hadn't looked at it as anything serious, but seeing Petra and being able to spend time with her like this was beginning to change his mind.

He wasn't sure what to say. It was clear that Petra wanted him to tell Hanji that she was being ridiculous, but _was she_? Was what Hanji had said _really_ that far off from the truth? Wasn't that what normal couples did? Go on a few dates, meet each other's parents, establish an actual, meaningful relationship. It seemed strange, but completely natural at the same time, and his lack of response seemed to spur Hanji on.

“Oh! Levi, do you actually _want_ to meet Petra's father?” She asked, her eyes going wide with excitement as Moblit paled at her side.

“If that was something that Petra wanted to do I wouldn't be opposed to it.” He looked over at Petra to see that her eyes were as big as saucers and her face had, once again, turned a lovely shade of pink.

“Holy shit,” Hanji said, her jaw dropping a bit as she watched the two of them. “You two are getting serious and it's only your first date.”

“That's not what I meant you shitty four-eyes!” Levi snapped. Whether it was out of embarrassment or he was trying to rationalize why exactly he'd answered that question in the way he did he wasn't quite sure.

“What exactly _did_ you mean, then?” Hanji asked with a smirk. Luckily, before he had to answer _that_ question the waiter came back with their food, and both Moblit and Petra looked relieved that there was a distraction to pull them away from the current conversation.

Once they were done with their meals they had a bit of time to relax. The waiter brought their check and they paid, but Moblit and Hanji were still sipping on their drinks and were becoming rather affectionate with each other across the table from Petra and Levi.

“Do you wanna step outside?” Levi asked after about the fourth time Hanji scooted her chair just a _little bit_ closer to Moblit. “I think I need some fresh air.”

“Sure, if that's what you want,” Petra replied, and the two of them slipped away from the table seemingly unnoticed by the two lovebirds on the other side.

Levi opened the door for Petra and felt the cold air hit him as soon as he walked out, sending a chill down to his bones, and he quickly realized that Petra hadn't brought a jacket with her. She didn't seem cold at the moment, but he knew that spending too much time outside in this weather would eventually get to her. Regardless, the two of them leaned against the wall the same way they'd done outside of the barracks building earlier that night, watching the people pass them by slowly.

“Levi, can I ask you something?” Petra asked, glancing over at him as they stood shoulder to shoulder. He hadn't realized until that moment that they'd been standing so close. He could feel the heat radiating off of her, pulling him toward her as his body begged for warmth.

“Go ahead,” He answered.

“What exactly _did_ you mean earlier? When you said you wouldn't mind meeting my father?”

“It's not unheard of for squad leaders to meet their subordinates families.”

“Well, usually that only happens when the squad member has died on an expedition,” Petra said, and Levi knew that she was right. He could make excuses all he wanted, but Petra would always see through them.

“I just meant that, if you really wanted me to meet your father I wouldn't be opposed. Although I'm sure you would never want to introduce me to him. He'd probably lock you away and never let you date again if he knew that you were involved with me.”

“I wouldn't be so sure, everyone admires you, Levi. You're humanity's strongest soldier, the man who keeps coming back from expeditions alive again and again. I think my father would see it as an honor if you were the man that I chose to be with.” Petra looked away from him, but he was sure that it was to hide her face as she spoke.

“Your father only knows the side of me that the public knows, though. I'm sure once he met me he would change his mind in a heartbeat. I'm not exactly the social type, in case you haven't noticed.” Levi was serious, but Petra was giggling at his side again, a sound that seemed to brighten the night as it danced through the air.

“You're right about not being the social type, but that's just part of who you are. Not everyone can be happy and personable all the time. Besides, I'm sure you always have a lot on your mind, considering your rank in the Corps.”

“Yeah,” He answered, and now it was his turn to look at the ground. “Your father isn't the one that should be honored, though.”

“What?” Petra sounded curious and her voice was clearer now, which probably meant that she'd turned her head to look at him again. If he was going to say this, he was going to make sure he said it right. He looked up at her again, a determination welling inside him that he rarely felt outside of battle.

“I'm the one that's honored that such a lovely and caring woman has picked me to be the object of her affection.”

“Levi,” Petra's voice sounded wispy.

“I'll be honest, when Hanji asked me to do this I didn't want to do it at all. I thought you would completely reject my offer of a date tonight but, for some reason, you came with me. I'm not sure if that means anything or not, but I've had a nice time with you, Petra, and I would be happy to do it again sometime. Without four-eyes and her keeper next time, though.”

“I...I don't know what to say.” Petra looked genuinely happy at the proposition, so Levi was completely dumbfounded as to why she couldn't figure out how to answer.

“Say yes!” Hanji's voice, yet again, disturbed their moment as her head popped around the corner of the building and she inserted herself into their conversation.

“Get the _fuck_ out, four-eyes!” Levi growled, this time definitely out of embarrassment that Hanji had overheard.

“Fine, fine, but you'd better say yes to him, Petra. I've never seen him ask anyone on a date, but this is the second time he's asked _you_.” Hanji winked before she took Moblit's hand and drug him away, waving as they left.

“What a fucking idiot,” Levi sighed, raking a hand through his hair. He was sure that the moment was gone now, that he wouldn't get an answer to his question and that he wouldn't get another chance to have a proper date with Petra, but it seemed that Hanji's interruption didn't derail Petra too much.

“I would love to go on another date with you, Levi. That sounds really nice,” She answered, smiling at him and setting his whole being on fire. He didn't feel cold anymore after that, but he noticed the chill bumps on Petra's arms and the way she shivered ever so slightly.

“We can make plans for it later, then,” He said as he slipped his jacket off of his shoulders and draped it over hers. “For now let's just get back to the barracks. I think we've both had enough of this ridiculous excuse for a first date.”

“It wasn't all that bad, you know,” Petra said with a smile as they started making their way toward home. “I've actually been enjoying spending time with you outside of drills and training.”

“Yeah, same here,” He answered somewhat awkwardly. Truthfully he just wasn't sure _how_ to reply to something like that. People didn't really _enjoy_ spending time with him, not normal people at least. He found that he was generally too abrasive for most people, that his attitude drove them away, but with Petra, none of that seemed to matter. Even despite his awkward response, she still kept smiling and talking as she pulled the jacket tighter around her small frame. She wasn't much smaller than Levi, so the jacket fit her well, it almost looked like it was made for her to wear. Whether that was Levi's own bias or the truth of the matter he wasn't sure.

When they arrived back at Petra's door, Levi found himself wanting to stay with her longer, but he couldn't impose and invite himself into her room, and she was probably tired anyway. So, instead, he began to think about how exactly people normally ended first dates. He wasn't sure, but he thought it might involve kissing, which he was completely uncomfortable thinking about. It wasn't that he didn't feel confident in his abilities, but the thought of kissing Petra made him more nervous than the date initially had.

“I had a nice time with you, Levi. Thank you for inviting me out on a date.” Petra smiled and started to remove the jacket from her shoulders but Levi shook his head.

“You can keep it for now. I don't need it.” He shoved his hands in his pockets before he continued. “I had a nice time with you too, Petra. Even though Hanji was just as big of an idiot as she's always been and she kept pestering you about strange things.

“I'm used to Hanji, she didn't bother me.” Petra giggled. “She actually helped me through it quite a bit, honestly. I was so nervous the entire time, and before you got here I was so stressed out about my clothes and how I looked.”

“You look beautiful, you don't have to worry about any of that,” Levi answered before he really thought about what he was saying and Petra's grip on the jacket around her shoulders tightened a bit, along with her cheeks regaining the nice rosy color from before. “I guess I should have told you that at the beginning of the evening instead of now.”

“T-thank you,” She said, only stumbling a little as she spoke. She took a step forward away from her door and toward Levi and he could read the signs well enough to know that she might actually be expecting him to kiss her. With how their date had gone he'd probably upset her expectations enough without refusing her a goodnight kiss, so he decided it was worth a try.

Levi took his own step forward, removing his hands from his pockets and gently placing them on Petra's arms. She felt warm, but she still shivered at his touch, as if the very thought of it made her so nervous that she couldn't control her actions. He pulled her a bit closer, looking into those beautiful hazel eyes of hers the whole time, and before he could talk himself out of it, he gingerly pressed a kiss to her lips and wondered if it made her see the same fireworks behind her eyelids that he was imagining. Her lips were soft and sweet and he was barely able to pull himself away from them to look at her again.

“Thank you for agreeing to come on that stupid date with me. I hope our next one goes a lot better,” He said as he slid his hands down her arms and slowly lost contact with her body. He felt the loss immediately, and it made him want to put his hands back where they were moments before, but he decided that might not be the best idea.

“I'm sure it will be wonderful,” Petra said with a smile as she bit her bottom lip a bit. Levi wanted more than anything to stay with her for just a bit longer, but he knew that they would both need to get some rest and reflect on what had happened tonight. He just hoped that Petra wouldn't change her mind about a second date after thinking it all through.

“I'll look forward to it, then. Goodnight, Petra,”

“Goodnight, Levi,”

With their goodbyes said, Petra unlocked her door and went into her room as Levi turned to walk back down the stairs to his. He couldn't believe that he'd almost missed the opportunity to go through with this whole thing when Hanji had asked him earlier. Couldn't believe that he'd almost flat refused to go on this date and missed the golden opportunity to get to know Petra better. He was _so glad_ that he didn't. Now, he could see himself being more content with his life, happier with the circumstances he found himself in, and he supposed he had Hanji to thank for that. He wondered in the back of his mind if this had all been an elaborate set up by Hanji, but he didn't dwell on it for too long. His whole body was still buzzing with the remnants of the kiss he'd shared with Petra and the thought of being able to do it again the next time.


End file.
